Project in Support of Institutional and Technical Reforms for Equity (PARITÉ)

Burkina Faso is one of the world’s poorest countries, with a GDP per capita of only CAD 2,258 (CFA 1 million). Some 80% of adults depend on subsistence farming for their survival. Given the many obstacles faced to access education (early and unwanted pregnancies; early and forced marriages, the choice of some parents to entrust their children to Quranic schools, etc.), the illiteracy rate is close to 60%. Some 1.5 million children of school age are out of school. To remedy the situation, the Burkinabè government has developed, in 2012, the Strategic Development Program for Basic Education (PDSEB) as a way to prioritize access to quality basic education for all.

The Project in Support of Institutional and Technical Reforms for Equity (PARITÉ) contributes to improving access to quality basic education for girls and boys. It is in line with the government of Burkina Faso’s vision of education development, which is to train responsible citizens with the necessary skills to support the country’s economic and social development. This project strengthens the capacities of the staff of the Ministry of National Education and Literacy (MENAPLN) in order to enable the adoption of educational practices conducive to inclusion and learning, especially for girls, and of a more inclusive form of education management.

This initiative is closely linked to Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy. It favours the promotion of equitable access to education for girls through several measures and initiatives.

Lines of Action

1. Mainstreaming Gender Priorities

In order to help reduce inequalities in the access to education, especially for girls, the PARITÉ project provides technical support to the Ministry of National Education and Literacy (MENAPLN) for the mainstreaming and monitoring of gender priorities in basic education.

In addition, the project seeks to achieve equitable access to education for girls with several measures and initiatives, including: awareness building, adaptation of school equipment, training of teachers in gender-sensitive pedagogy, prevention of violences at school and prevention of early pregnancies and marriages.

2. Improved Learning for Girls

PARITÉ works with different bodies and officials of the MENAPLN to help them design, sustain and implement activities that improve the quality of learning for girls. In this sense, the results of the assessments of learning outcomes are taken into account to improve current strategies, tools and systems.

The project focuses on teacher training and more specifically on supporting the decentralized structures in the implementation of relevant measures for creating the environment conducive to the educational success of girls.

In addition, this initiative insists on the involvement of all community stakeholders in improving learning at school. To this end, regional forums

for interschool exchanges are organized in order to facilitate the widest possible adoption of best practices.

3. Sound and Efficient Management of Resources

PARITÉ supports the MENAPLN in the implementation and use of processes and tools for sound and efficient management of public funds (financial administration, internal control and procurement) at the central and decentralized levels.

In order to get a better picture of the situation, a performance audit of the entire procurement chain within the MENAPLN (CAST Fund and others) is carried out. The results of this activity allow for the implementation of the best control mechanisms and devices in order to improve financial management.